BLOOD TEST COULD DETECT SKIN CANCER SPREAD

Dundee University researchers are pioneering a simple blood test, which can be used to identify patients whose skin cancer has spread. It is believed that such tests will lead to faster diagnoses, and help avoid incidents of cancer misdiagnosis.

 According to their presentation during the National Cancer Research Institute Conference, the blood test measures levels of a gene called TFP12, found in the DNA in the blood. The landscape of the DNA then helps to identify if the cancer has spread. It is believed, that such findings could not just lead to faster diagnoses, but also new treatments. Particularly difficult to treat, certain skins cancers, such as melanomas, are also notoriously hard to detect. Dr Tim Crook, study author and consultant medical oncologist at the University of Dundee said, “By using a blood test, we have the basis of a simple and accurate way of discovering how advanced the disease is, as well as an early warning sign of whether it has started to spread. This work could lead to quicker diagnosis and potentially new treatments, giving patients and doctors an even better chance of beating the disease. There’s increasing evidence that the latest treatments are more effective in these early stages and, if we can identify patients whose cancer has only just started to spread, this would significantly improve the chances of beating the disease.”